14 DAY TRIAL // Users who previously installed UxStyle on their Windows 10 PCs to patch the theme system files and enable third-party themes must remove the software before upgrading to the Creators Update.
This is because of a compatibility issue causing the upgrade process to the Creators Update to freeze or lead to a black screen when it completes. There are users complaining that UxStyle also caused the explorer.exe process to crash, making a reset the only option.
UxStyle is a patch that allows users to bypass Windows restrictions and install third-party themes on a PC. The application modifies system files, and this could be the reason why it blocks the update to the Windows 10 Creators Update, so the safest thing to do right now is to remove it completely before actually starting the switch to the new OS.
The workaround
If you’re already hitting the black screen or if the explorer.exe crashes, resetting might be the easiest workaround, though we’ve heard from some readers that multiple reboots can also do the trick. Of course, there is no guarantee that this would work, but on the other hand, resetting Windows completely helps restore the original system files and bypass any issue caused by modifications to system files.
Installing UxStyle after completing the move to the Creators Update doesn’t work either, as it leads to other issues, such as the theme settings page no longer opening.
On the other hand, if you want to patch system files to use third-party themes in Windows 10 Creators Update, you can switch to UltraUXThemePatcher, which has already received an update to be fully compatible with Microsoft’s new OS version.
And as a general tip, removing any applications modifying system files before starting the update to the Windows 10 Creators Update is an easy way to prevent any compatibility issues or errors during the process. Otherwise, more complex workarounds, such as resets, would be needed.